The Music From The Soul
by Keyko Sakura
Summary: What happens when a five-guy heavy metal band decides to add a sweet girl to sing with them? Enter the world of music, fame and love with all their perks and problems as well.
1. Dreams

**The Music from the Soul**

* * *

_When I thought my dream had ended, a new beginning was placed just ahead of me. I just didn't know it yet on that day…_

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Dreams**

**Sakura's Diary**

**Saturday, December 12****th**

I knew why I was feeling a pang in my chest, why my heart was clenching in itself in sorrow. I was doing it to myself, but I had only one thought running in my mind: "It is over." Yeah, it had been funny while it lasted, this music career seeking I had been gone through during the last couple of years, but one day it had to end and that day finally arrived. I really should have known better; this singer status was just not for me. Yes, I have talent, people say I sing like a bird, anyway I never got my place in that world – the Music Industry world; I mean.

That was the train of thoughts I was in when I heard my name being shouted in the hallway where my dorm is.

"Sakura-san!"

_What the hell?_ I thought, recognizing my manager's voice screaming crazily like that. I was right. Not so much after that, my chubby manager appeared at my door, leaning on it to regain his posture –and breath. I just stared at him, frozen in the middle of folding a shirt to add the item in my luggage.

"Oh, Sakura-san. That's good you didn't leave yet. You need to come see this!"

"Are you kidding me?" That was my dry answer. "My flight is this evening, I have packing to do."

"I-I know, Sakura-san…" He stuttered. "But you had better see this! There are these guys and their band, they're awesome and they're waiting for you to check them out. I know you're going to like them!"

Ok. At that point I had already thrown the shirt in the bag clumsily.

"What do I have to do with an all guy band?"

My manager cleared his throat nervously.

"Well… Maybe if you like them we could combine you and the guys…"

I blinked twice. That was just not right.

"Ok, Tanaka-san. That was a nice try, but I'll finish my packing and leave. The US is waiting for me. My English course as well."

I could practically hear Tanaka-san's heartbeat increase and his face turned redder. Sweat started to run down the sides of his head.

"Sakura-san, please, just give them a chance. If you don't like them, fine, we will let you go as you please. But at least let them play one song for you. You have been waiting for an opportunity for so long; maybe this is your chance to live your dream. Don't throw it away just yet."

All right… He had a point there. But why would I want to join a band full of unknown guys or worse, why would they want me to join them if their group was already formed?

"If I get late for my flight, I'll never forgive you."

"Sakura-san, you won't decide to leave after hearing them."

"Why are you so sure of it?"

"Because they are going to be the next greatest band of Japan and you should be part of it."

We were already inside the elevator when Tanaka-san stated that. I stared at him, brows raised in suspicion.

"These guys had better be really good or else I'll punch all of you…"

I smiled as Tanaka-san gulped and grinned nervously tugging his collar. He was pretty aware of my somewhat aggressive personality.

Nothing could have prepared me for what was about to happen in that studio.

My manager, Tanaka Kaito, was known as the type of person who speaks a lot but does very little. That's why I was not so excited to meet those boys. We arrived when they were finishing sound check.

"Sakura-san let me introduce you to the guys. This is Inuzuka Kiba, base guitarist. Hyuuga Neji, solo guitarist. Nara Shikamaru, bassist. Uzumaki Naruto, drummer. And Uchiha Sasuke, vocalist, rapper and screamer."

I couldn't help but let my eyes widen at that It was impossible to be all three at the same time and be good at them all. I stared at him for a moment while thinking 'all right, Uchiha, show me what you've got'. He glared at me and for a brief instant I thought he could read my mind. I shook my head. Of course he couldn't. And that helped to worsen my bad humor. How dare he glare at me like that? Definitely, not good. This guy doesn't look friendly like a band vocalist should be.

But despite this, my general impression was… Good. The guys were all handsome. How could that be possible? Well that certainly was an extra point; female fans would appear by tons…

Starting by the Inuzuka boy: he had two red inverted triangles tattooed on his cheeks, something I found pretty badass. The drummer, Uzumaki, was blond with blue eyes, not very common for a Japanese guy. He also had cat whiskers on his face; badass as well. Next one: the bassist. Shikamaru was a brunette with a strange spiky sort of a ponytail. Interesting and handsome, even if he looked a little lazy. Then Neji… He had dark long straight hair and light eyes, pale even. I had to slap myself mentally to look professional. And the last one, the Uchiha guy. He also had dark hair with bangs that framed his face and very dark eyes. Beautiful eyes, even though intimidating. What kind of band was that? I decided to let them try.

"All right guys. Sakura-san will listen to only one song now. Show her what you've got best!" I could have sworn I heard the Uchiha boy complain about something doing a "tsc". No good…

Anyway, they started playing… And that was mesmerizing. The drummer was impossibly good. The two guitarists were in perfect synchrony. Shikamaru's bass was strong and awesome. As for Sasuke, he had transformed into a completely different person. Since the heavy intro started he held the pedestal with both hands and started head banging. Then a rap followed and I was impressed at his agility and articulated words. The bridge was pure screams. And then he sang in the chorus. The song was great. The solo Neji played suited it well and was difficult to play. When they finally finished with one last scream of Sasuke's, I was speechless. Tanaka-san started his own round of applause while all I could do was stare at them.

"So… Sakura-san. What do you think?"

It took me some time to process a complete phrase to speak in that moment. When I managed it, it was only a 'That was awesome!' Inuzuka and Uzumaki smiled; widely. Shikamaru nodded and offered a small smile. Neji only nodded and Sasuke just had no reaction. Since the song ended, he had come back to what I supposed was his true self: stoic.

Tanaka had a smile wider than his face, yet, I had to ruin it all. "That as really awesome, but I can't see how I would fit in this band." My manager dropped his smile. "I wish you all the luck guys!" I waved at them and turned to leave.

"Wait, Sakura-san!"

I turned again to face who had called me and saw it was Naruto. Something in his eyes made me stop.

"We were hoping you would join us. We had no idea you wasn't sure of it yet…"

He was looking at me expectantly and then I realized all of them were hoping to welcome me in their band even if they didn't state that aloud.

"Sakura-san…" I heard my manager start. "You are going to be their sunshine in the band's darkness. They are already a blend of heavy metal, screamo and hip-hop. Now imagine adding your sweet female voice to it. It's the mixture of the century!"

No way to deny it. He was right. Nobody had ever had a band like that until that day. I knew it for sure, that was explosive; meant to be. But I still had no idea if I should join these guys, yet, before I could answer the Uchiha guy finally spoke.

"I want to hear you."

It took me some seconds to realize he was talking to me.

"Show me what you can do." He said, eyes not leaving mine. I felt the challenge, felt the sudden tension in the air. That was it. The moment to find out if that was going to work out or not.

I took a step forward and asked whether or not the guys knew a song from a female fronted band I liked. I smiled when they nodded. I waited patiently for them to remember all the chords until they signaled it was ok. The boys then started the introduction to the song and I felt so much more nervous than I had ever felt before. Gosh! What was that? Not even when I had to perform for the talent managers of that label I felt that nervous. Of course, there was that guy, Sasuke, standing in front of me with his arms crossed in front of his body and staring at me. Damn…

'All right Sakura.' I told myself. 'It's show time.'

As I closed my eyes I could feel it coming, yeah, the notes coming, the music burning inside of me. I sang.

_I'm so sick, infected with where I live_

_Let me live without this empty bliss, selfishness_

_I'm so sick_

That was what I loved. Music. Singing. Rock n' roll. A smile grazed my lips when I heard some applause in the end.

"She's good!" I could hear Kiba whisper. Tanaka-san cleared his throat to gain everybody's attention.

"So what do you think Hyuuga-san, Uchiha-san?"

Both exchanged a glance for a brief moment. I was nervous to find out what they would say. Neji finally nodded. Sasuke nodded as well.

"I like it." He said shoving his hands in his pockets casually.

"Sakura-san?" Everyone looked at me in expectation. I had to take a deep breath in. It was now or never.

"I'm sorry guys." I said. "Can't do it."

I was decided to let that go. Travel to the USA without looking back. Seriously, that would never work. I really liked the guys and their band; I also agreed they wouldn't go much far. Don't get me wrong, they were awesome, but they were ordinary as well. At that time I was refusing to realize how I myself was ordinary too. I wanted so bad to become a singer, a rock star, but alone I wouldn't be a success anyway. My label was right, separated we would never be great, but combined it would be an explosion. But, me? Really? I wanted to reach the stage alone. I wanted to have my name on the news and music headlines. I didn't want to be in a band, even less with five –marvelous- boys in it. Geez… I was the only girl! Boys are cool, but they smell… As far as I knew. Now imagine being on the road with five of them! Definitely, that was _not_ going to happen.

I headed back to my room to finish my packing as soon as possible; I had a flight to take. Annoying tears were blurring my vision and I had no idea why I was crying. I was folding the clothes not really doing a good job, I just wanted that luggage to be ready so that I could leave and forget that part of my life. Yes, I was giving up. And the band? Well, they could find another girl to sing for them, couldn't they? Maybe they find another screamer like that girl from Arch Enemy. A screamer girl was new in Japan. My voice was pretty common. Thin and loud like almost every Japanese girl, that wouldn't really fit a heavy band like theirs and would they be willing to change their sound just to add a girl to the band? Don't think so.

All right. Finished! Then I just needed to find my ticket, my purse and bye Japan! I'll be back… Someday…

But then I heard a knock on the door. Damn it! Who could that be? It took me some seconds to decide f I should open it or just pretend I wasn't there, but then I remembered that the door wasn't locked, so yeah… Better to just face it. Whoever it was. Surprise hit me when I finally opened the door.

Deep black eyes met mine and right in that moment I knew, my life was changed. Forever.

* * *

_In secret, we talked about our dreams._

* * *

_**Author's notes:**_

_Hello guys!_

_First of all: for those reading "**Silence**", next chapter is coming, don't worry!_

_I will **not** start a lot of projects, my time is much reduced, but I wanted to try this idea mainly because this story I'm writing directly in English, so probably it will be better written then Silence which is a translation. _

_I want to improve in my English writing, that's why I'll try to update Silence and this one as well, so I can compare my production. _

**_Please review and tell what you think._**

_This story is based on the story of a Japanese band. I want to see if you can guess which band this is. Every chapter will be named after a song of them (translated in English…). The romance part is just my imagination; it's not part of the original band's story, right?_

_This chapter was short 'cause it's just a test. The next ones will be longer._

_Thanks for reading!_


	2. Pride

**The Music From The Soul**

* * *

_Until that day I had never thought I'd be slowly falling to my own disgrace…_

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Pride**

**Sasuke's Diary**

**Monday, December 14****th**

I knew I was looking to something special since the first time my eyes met hers. I didn't like it, not even a bit of it. We already had our band, why did that stupid label want to change it? And that girl, she was great. That was a problem; a big one.

The window's view was pretty boring. It was not helping to ease my tension. The boys seemed relaxed. Naruto played with his drum sticks, as usual. Shikamaru was taking a nap, also as usual. Lazy ass… But he was a bass genius, so I made a mental note not to disturb his beauty sleep. Neji wasn't there yet and Kiba was reading a magazine. We were at the meeting room of Spice Records, an independent record label located in Tokyo.

Things were going great. Few months ago we were just a garage band trying to play in music festivals of our island (Okinawa), and now we were about to sign a contract with a good label in the capital city of the country. Still… I wasn't happy. I should be, but I wasn't. Our band would sign the contract and also change completely. Our name would change, our sound would change, our crew would change… There would be a girl among us. That was weird.

Sakura was good, for sure. But she was… Sweet? Yeah, sweet seems a good word to describe her. She wouldn't fit in this band… I knew that keep analyzing the girl wouldn't help me, but I couldn't help it myself. Ok. She was pretty. Oh hell… She was beautiful. Who am I kidding? That girl was beautiful and hot, despite the sweet thing. Her pink hair was interesting and talking about a band with five totally different guys, she would be a plus. Imagine that. Seriously, take a moment to analyze our band in an esthetic perspective. There was me, dark hair and bangs like that guy from… What was the name of the band? Oh, right. Sleeping With Sirens, Kellin something. Then Neji who looked like those heavy metal guys with a very long and dark hair. Shikamaru sometimes reminded me of a hippie. Kiba had some resemblance of a wolf, or vampire like he uses to say. His teeth are sharper than normal. And at last Naruto who was blond with blue eyes, like what? A blond blue-eyed Japanese boy? Yeah, that was it. And now. A girl. But not only _a girl_, a pink-haired girl. What was the probability of six so different people end up working together?

I heard the door opening revealing Neji and our new manager. Hatake Kakashi was presented to us two days before. He seemed to be a good manager and always sounded like he knew what he was doing. As far as I knew he was the responsible for that "fusion" we were about to make. Or suffer. He gave the idea. I wasn't sure if I wanted to punch him or thank him for that one. Anyway I turned my back to the window and leaned against it to watch the guys. Now only Sakura and her manager, Tanaka, were left to show up and our meeting would start.

"Hey man!" I heard Naruto say. When I lifted my eyes from the floor I saw him staring at me. "What's your problem bastard?" The idiot was screaming again. Too much energy and a loud mouth were a terrible combination.

"Shut up idiot."

That kind of scene was so common that no one paid attention to us.

"He is still thinking."

Everybody turned heads to where Shikamaru was still with his eyes closed.

"Thinking about what?" Naruto asked. Wouldn't he just shut up?

Shikamaru moved a little and finally woke up from his nap. Yawning a little he rubbed his eyes before answering.

"Still thinking if this is a good idea."

"Oh". Naruto said when realization hit him. "You are talking about Sakura-san, right? She is good, isn't she? I'm sure our band will be a success with her."

Annoying blond…

All the boys were staring at me, waiting my response. I knew all of them had already accepted Sakura as one of us now, I was not willing to disappoint them, but I had to voice my thoughts.

"Yeah. She's good." Was my short answer. "That's the problem."

"What?" Both Naruto and Kiba gaped. "What are you saying man? Are you afraid the little girl will steal your place as vocalist?" Naruto asked.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair out of habit. I wasn't in the mood to talk. In fact, I was _never_ in the mood to talk, even less to create a whole speech on why I thought Sakura was too good for that to work.

"I think I know what Sasuke is thinking." I turned my face to look at Shikamaru. "Sakura being good is a blessing and a curse."

I turned my head away once again, but kept my attention on him.

"Our chance to succeed is in Sakura's hands. No wonder she is awesome. With that girl singing with us our band will be on top. The problem is Sakura's reasons to join us. She has been here for some time and didn't succeed at all. Now she has another opportunity, but… Does she want to be part of a band, with five more guys? I bet she wanted to be a solo singer. What if later she decides to leave us? Once famous she could just kick our asses and start her own career. If she does it one day we're screwed. Because she is good. Another problem is that she is a girl, the only girl and we all know how female fronted bands are complicated. The girl will always be on the spot, more than any of us. If she leaves, we will have a hard time to overcome that. Where will we find another great girl to replace her? And the fans may not like that. This is a great shot, but it can backfire."

Judging by the silence in the room, everybody had understood the problem. Even Naruto got quiet, pondering what Shikamaru had said. Not so much after that Kakashi cleared his throat and started talking casually.

"You're right. But it doesn't seem you have any other option. The label will only sign with you if Sakura joins the band. If you retreat you'll have to find another label. Furthermore, there's no way to assure Sakura will leave you. That may or may not happen."

Silence fell on the room once again. I knew that. I knew all of that. Still I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. But before I could drown myself in my thoughts again, Sakura and her manager appeared. As my eyes locked with hers I remembered what happened on her dorm two days ago.

We had finished our performance and I could swear she had loved us. Yet in the end, Sakura rejected our offer. At first I got infuriated. How dare that little girl just turn her back on us? Tanaka-san apologized and said there was nothing he could do as she was decided to leave, in that same evening, to the USA. I wanted to just let her go, once that was what she wanted. Tried to convince myself she was not that great after all. But I knew I wasn't going to deceive myself so easily. As I saw the disappointment in the eyes of my buddies I decided to take some action. In secret I asked Tanaka-san the directions to her room and got there before I could even think on what I should say.

She opened the door after a moment and seemed to be almost shocked to see me standing there in front of her door. I could relate to her. I would be surprise with me there. Thing is I never do that kind of stuff, talking to someone like that…

"Sakura…" I said after an awkward silence. "Could you… Talk to me?"

The girl was still holding the door half closed so that I couldn't see the rest of her room. It was noticeable her nervousness. I could only hope she would listen and think again.

"What do you want?" She asked more nervous than angry.

"Just talk."

She sighed and opened the door for me. I entered the room, but didn't dare close it behind me. Another awkward silence. Damn. That would never work…

"So?" she asked and I felt like she didn't want me there for too long. Maybe she didn't want me there for even a second…

"You know…" I started, not really sure of what I was doing. "When the guys formed the band they heard me singing in a festival. After my performance, Kiba invaded the backstage and offered me the place of vocalist."

She looked at me uncertainly. Probably she was trying to figure out my reasons to start the story time.

"Then you accepted, as I see." She said.

"No."

Her jade eyes widened a little. One eyebrow narrowed. I could see her index fingers tracing the edges of her bag on the bed casually.

"How come you are their vocalist then?"

"Kiba called me every morning, every single day, for four months until I said yes."

Her pink eyebrows rose. Then she looked away.

"Will you call me every day for months as well? I'll be very far."

"No. I won't." She looked at me again. Her green orbs locked with mine, and for a brief second I wondered what was crossing her mind in that moment. "Because you won't leave. I won't let you go."

She gave me a very confused and shocked stare. I couldn't help but think that that phrase would have sound pretty romantic in another context. For the last time: what the hell I was doing?

"Isn't it your dream to work with music? To sing? Why are you giving up?"

"You know nothing about me, Uchiha-san. I have my reasons."

"It's not just your dream." I watched as she stopped, frozen in the middle of a turn to grab her purse on a nearby table; I supposed. "The guys accepted you. They were already talking about you as part of the band even before they saw you. Naruto became very excited about it, Kiba as well. Shikamaru was already thinking about the changes we would make to bring you with us and Neji was taking care of the legal stuff. They-"

"What about you?" She interrupted, without looking back to face me. "What do you think about it? About me…"

I was taken aback by that. Then I realized I only talked about them. And after that I also realized I haven't thought about her. Not really. What should I say? Words… Damn you words! It was funny how I could write tons of songs, but when I was the one who needed to talk, I would just freeze. Pathetic… I took a deep breath.

"I just know that, without you we won't make it."

I decided to stare straight into her eyes. I had no idea if that was good or intimidating; I was hoping for the former.

"The guys' dream? It will end, for sure. Mine as well. And yours if you don't think again and change your mind."

Sakura's hands were slightly shaking and she tried to hide them from me. For sure she was having an argument with herself deep within. I didn't want to push her buttons that much, but I… Damn. I _needed_ her. I hated the idea of being in need of someone else, but in that case, there wasn't much I could do.

"Sakura… You need us. We need you. I need you. So no, I won't let you go."

And them, two days later we were about to sign the contract. Yeah, Sakura decided to join us after that night. Thankfully, my humiliation served for something. I would never, ever, do that again. Needless to say, Sakura didn't gain much of my affection because of that, but I could work with her anyway.

The girl entered the room, followed by her manager. She smiled at everybody but I could tell she was trying to hold a blush. Silly, but… Cute. Oh no… No way had I said that. Fuck… All right. That would be an interesting blend anyway. Five totally manly guys and a little pink girl. Did I just say interesting? That was weird. That idea had better work…

So it was decided that Kakashi would become our manager and Sakura's as well. Tanaka-san seemed pretty emotive. Who knows how much time he had spent as her manager. Anyway, Neji was revising all the contractual terms of our contract with Kakashi, aloud. Man… That was boring. They were talking about money, media exposure, copyright, something about the label's royalties… We all listened and nodded, listened and nodded on and on and on. Naruto and Shikamaru were almost drifting off to sleep when something Kakashi said made us all gasp.

"Sorry, Kakashi-san…" Sakura started. "Could you repeat the last line?"

Kakashi smiled under a mask he wore, like those medic masks for sick people. "Sure, Sakura-san. No member of the band is allowed to be in a romantic relationship with Haruno Sakura."

"What the hell?" Naruto yelled. "Who created this term?"

"It was the chief officers. They are sort of… Concerned with adding a girl to a group of boys." Tanaka-san said visibly nervous.

"But that was their idea…" Sakura muttered. Her eyes were staring at the table in front of her.

"Yeah," Kakashi said. "They really believe your band will be a success. That's why they don't want to take the risk of letting something like jealousy or broken hearts disturb your career."

"That's ridiculous!" Everybody was startled by Sakura who had almost shouted her indignation. "You are talking as if I were some irresistible model. Besides it we should all be free to make our own decisions. Of course they would never choose me after being with me for much time. I'm… Dull…" The last part came off in a whisper.

Nobody knew what to say after that. Until Kakashi decided to talk again.

"I personally agree with you Sakura-san, but if you don't agree with this term, there will be no contract signed. It's your choice."

We all exchanged glances, trying to read what our companions were thinking. After a moment we all sighed and nodded. I just hoped they wouldn't start to control our lives more than that. I'd rather die than be restrained by that industry. Yes, I must confess that at that time I was still somewhat innocent. Wish I could go back.

The rest of the terms were "normal" and no other problems appeared. In the end we all signed a lot of papers. Now officially we were a band. Sakura was a member as any of us.

"Ok. Now guys, you'll need another name for your band." Tanaka-san suggested.

We were taken by surprise. Nobody had thought about changing our name. Well, no wonder that our current name "Bloody Hell" wouldn't fit anymore. Not with a pink-haired girl singing with me. As the two managers saw how unprepared we were to answer that Kakashi called it a day and we ended up receiving a week to think about our new name and present it to him.

One week later, exactly, we called for another meeting and then Sakura and Naruto showed Kakashi a handmade sign with our new name they both had made using a cardboard and some silly crayons. Kakashi seemed satisfied with our choice and he was probably smiling as he read aloud:

_Haikara_.

* * *

_Let's go, wake up to go, to the future that we don't know_

_Well, spreading our wings, facing the wind_

_It's a jump start, bringing forth one and only power_

_Insecurity plus pride fly in my heart_

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Hello people!_

_Even though I received only two reviews with the first chapter TT_TT, I was pretty surprised as three people favorited my story and other 9 are already following it. Thank you!_

_I know I promised longer chapters, but as this is also an introduction like the previous one, I decided to cut it here, and that's it! Anyway I'd like to know if you want longer chapters, or if this length is ok._

_I didn't revise it before uploading, so please, help with correct any mistake. _

_I want to know what you think, so review guys! Please! _

_And yes, this will be Sakura's and Sasuke's POV. Each one per chapter. Hope you like it!_


	3. Over

**The Music from the Soul**

* * *

_At that time things were simple. And we had fun. We were just learning how to fly._

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Over**

**Sakura's Diary**

**Thursday, February 25th **

Even after we signed the forms to work together, we still had no idea how to do it more than one month later. The boys were used to write songs, as well as I was too, but I used to do it calmly playing an acoustic guitar. I didn't understand a thing about raps or screams and then I started to question our decision to blend in just one group.

Kakashi was amazing as manager. I should admit that I liked Tanaka-san and I missed him already, but Kakashi was so much better managing us. That guy always knew what to do and it was thanks to him that we found a way of working together.

In a freezing afternoon I was in one of the studios, in the same building I lived that belonged to our label, playing with some instruments and the digital audio-mixer, trying to entertain myself while waiting for the boys. Once we signed the contract the guys moved in to the label's building. It was a ten-story building in which some artists could live. The first and second floors had meeting rooms, offices and studios. From the third on there were the dorms. They would show up anytime and while I waited I was playing with the controllers.

That was the third time the boys and I would try to rehearse; and I say _try_ because until that day we hadn't made any progress yet. I mean, on the first day we just talked… Tried to know each other better. Again, tried. Naruto and Kiba are lovely. Both of them. Naruto specially is pretty talkative. He told me all his life story and things about the beginning of their band. Kiba is not that loud mouth, but I enjoyed his talking, even though I felt like he would sweet talk me, had he been given the opportunity. Or maybe that was just my imagination. He was probably just trying to be friendly… Sakura, you paranoiac…

Oh, well…

Shikamaru was almost falling asleep; I noticed that was probably normal as nobody seemed to care. The Hyuuga boy just said he is the leader (so now, my leader as well…) and the oldest of us all. I didn't really listen to him; his dark, long and straight hair was distracting me. Like… Seriously, that thing was perfection! Myself as a girl was envious of his hair… And his pretty face. Damn. In the end, always the Uchiha. Quiet and lonesome as he seemed to be forever and ever… I was starting to wonder what was wrong with him. He only said that he is the responsible for the lyrics of the group, which meant that if I wanted to include my "poetry" I would have to talk to him about it.

Annoying.

So freaking annoying that guy was. In that moment I really wanted to rip my hair off while thinking what the hell I thought I was doing. Hell…

Do you know when something whispers in your ears and you don't really know if it's your stupid mind playing games with you, or if God himself decided to be cool and give you a tip? So, I could hear in the back of my mind that Sasuke was not what he seemed to be. How I knew? I had seen him on stage. He was fucking brilliant. No way would that ambulant ice cube have so much passion as he did. And hell how he did! Singers could never be emotionless, stoic. That guy was a great lie.

That was what annoyed me the most.

And then Sasuke and I would work together. Closely together, more than the rest, because the message of the lyrics was our responsibility. Great… I was looking forward to it.

No. I wasn't.

Anyway, the second day wasn't really better than that. The guys played some ideas and I was there, in a corner watching them with no idea of what to do. Almost one month later Kakashi appeared to check on things and become, mostly by accident, our savior. He noticed how excluded I felt and realized that the boys were really… Not ready to work with a girl. I don't know if I felt better after he stated that. Yeah, I'm a girl… So what? Was it that difficult? Boys…

Kakashi asked us to gather around him in a semi circle. It was hard to guess what he was thinking behind that mask. Nobody knew what his reasons were to wear that mask all the time; he was not sick. I had been living in the label's building for two years at that time and I had heard some rumors about Kakashi, the manager. Some people said he once was a criminal and is still wanted by the police so nobody can recognize him or else they will disappear mysteriously. Yeah, sure.

"Guys… I think you all need to come closer. Sakura-chan is feeling a little… Left out. You are a band now and she is part of you." Kakashi said.

"We know that, Kakashi." Naruto said. "We are trying to develop a better way to work together…"

"That's simple." Was Kakashi's answer. "Light and dark."

Everybody stared at Kakashi while processing what he meant by that. Noticing that we were clueless he explained.

"Think about light and dark. You boys are the dark side and Sakura is the light. Now Neji, take that guitar and bring up now a heavy and dark sound."

Neji seemed not really willing to, but did what he was told nonetheless. Then Kakashi asked the rest of the band to join Neji. Except for Sasuke. I watched as they started to create a pattern for the new song. Gosh, they were so good! It seemed like I was hearing an introduction of a Linkin Park song, maybe…

"Now Sakura?"

I turned my face to look at Kakashi.

"That's when you start to create. Follow the music."

That's not very simple when you are an indie rocker trying to come up with ideas for a somewhat heavy metal song. But just then I started to understand our dynamics. I listened to that over and over again, until I was able to start humming some notes.

Kakashi's smirk was noticeable under his mask. "Sasuke?"

Damn. It was easy for him. He created a rap, with some silly words just to present something. And when the pattern changed I filled in with some lines. Surprisingly, Sasuke followed me including some words in a rap manner in between my lines.

That was it. We had finally found our connection. The boys became pretty excited with our little progress and Neji decided to track that part, to prevent us from forgetting. Later we were able to finish a raw instrumental demo with which Sasuke and I would work to add melody and lyrics.

Now, days later, we were almost getting it done. And I was excited. Our first song was almost finished in just three weeks. Sasuke had included some old lyrics he had saved in a somewhat "diary" he would carry anywhere he goes. At that time I thought that was just a notebook for sketches. Only years later, I would find out the truth written on those pages. So, by using those lyrics, we were able to finish the song and today we would finish it completely.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice cut the silence and I turned to smile at him. It was easy to be around Naruto, even when he smelled like ramen, which was rather often… "The boys are coming! There's only the last chorus to track and we're done! Our first demo! Aren't you excited?"

"Yeah! Sure! Do you think people are going to like it?" I almost screamed. That demo was coming to prove that our dream could come true. Coming to prove that the boys and I could work together and we would succeed.

"Hi…" Sasuke's voice interrupted our dialogue. "Ready?"

Being the good girl I was it took me some effort not to replay with "I was born ready". Instead, a smile grazed my lips as I followed him into the cabin to record our voices. I tried not to be nervous as I put my headphones on and waited for everybody to be more comfortable in the room in front of us. And then, our sound engineer gave us a "thumbs up" signaling the start of our recording.

I would sing, and Sasuke would be the second voice for that chorus.

Singing with him was…

_Magical._

We had a hard time trying to match our voices on the early days. We were still struggling a little, but our voices sounded good combined. Sasuke had a different voice; the guys had named it "machine gun vox". He was able to sing completely different than the way he spoke. Ok, let me admit it: I was impressed. Not everyone can do that.

Our first song didn't have any screams. It was a happy beat in general. Like a heavy rock made for an energetic day. Sasuke gave an even lighter façade adding a rap as a bridge for the chorus. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that the guys also added their voices in a somewhat "audience manner". They would help us with some "yeahs!" in the background. And the guys enjoyed a lot to play that. They seemed lighter as well, but they didn't complain about it as I thought they would do. Was that the result of having me with them?

Weird.

In the end we all seated down in the studio room to listen to the whole song. Of course it was still a rough draft without the mixing and stuff, but we could have an idea. I was so nervous that I grabbed Naruto's hand and refused to let it go until the song finished. Not that he complained about it anyways…

And then a round of applause. We were proud of ourselves. So fucking proud, to be honest. Kakashi turned to us.

"Congratulations guys. You officially have your first single."

* * *

Later that day we were all together in Kiba's room. The boys had bought some pizzas and ice cream and we would celebrate our first work and the room was a mess. Too much people in a tiny room along with sodas, the food boxes and some DVD's were not a good idea at all. Shikamaru and Kiba were arguing to decide which movie we would watch first, with Naruto pointing his opinions here and there. But when the girl decided to talk everybody agreed.

Should I be worried with this? Probably.

Their surprised looks were soon replaced by content ones upon hearing my suggestion.

"C'mon guys! The Terminator series! Why not?"

It surprised me more to see that, while the boys were still looking at each other questioning my suggestion, Sasuke had already gotten up and was placing the DVD in the player. That being done no one wanted to argue anymore. What for, right?

They complained a little as the movie was starting and I was still up in front of the TV, almost jeopardizing our movie session (Naruto was complaining I was not transparent), but I was just trying to find a more comfortable place to sit. That's when Kiba petted a pillow and placed it on his lap, gesturing to me to settle there. No need to say I blushed. Was he serious? I looked around and saw the guys had seen it, but no one said anything.

Well, let's put this on topics:

-I was the only girl in the room;

-There were five, FIVE, other boys there;

-One had asked me to practically lay my head on his lap;

-No one seemed to care;

You know what? I sent all my cares to hell and accepted his offer. What was going on in my head was that, if we were going to be a band, we would become something like a family. What kind of family cannot seat together like that? I rationalized that if we had the license to be open with each other, we would work better as a team. Sometime later I would realize I was right on that one.

Maybe, just maybe…

I was already feeling home.

* * *

"Take this." I remember looking up and seeing Shikamaru tossing me a bottle of water. My smile was automatic.

We were in the middle of a photo shoot to add them to our portfolio. Even though the weather was still cold, the studio room we were at was pretty muffled, so we ended up taking pictures with some summer-like clothes. During the winter- what the fuck?

I felt a little embarrassed for the boys would always put me in the middle or in front of them. _You're the only girl_; _you're one of the vocalists_… That's what they were saying all the time. And of course, Sasuke would normally stand by my side. We were the formidable pair, the super couple and shit…

But one thing couldn't be denied: Sasuke looked a lot more relaxed around me since we started recording. That was when I started to wonder with I wasn't misjudging him. I mean he still was like an ice cube, but maybe it was just a defense of his (who's this strange pink-haired girl? Why will she sing with me? Weird girl… Hehe…).

We still had to work on other songs to decide if we were going to add them to that specific single or maybe just for our debut album. It took us months to decide that. But in the meanwhile we grew as friends and I felt that we were really meant to be.

If only I knew how much that would change our lives…

Our first single "OVER" reached the stores only in November, 24th of that same year. Though it was only sold in one specific store, the single sold out in just one month. You can imagine how happy was our Christmas then, huh?

Even if we had kicked off our career singing "over", we were just in the beginning.

* * *

_Over over 20 borders_  
_What's the scenery like in the future we must come to?_  
_Raise your expectations_  
_But before you do, get rid of that feeling of hesitation_  
_Don't let it get to you, try! That's right!_  
_You can always start running, just now_

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Hello! Another chapter of Sakura's diary!_

_And yes, the band is HIGH & MIGHTY COLOR. It's just one of my favorite bands EVER, and I like their story. _

_I'm still waiting for reviews, you know... *shy Keyko hides*_

**_NEWS!_**

_Now I have a page on Facebook! You can follow me there to be up to date with all my projects! facebook**dot**com/keykosakuraofficial_

_Thanks for reading!_


End file.
